1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a storage enclosure for a foldable seat or bench of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage space in a passenger motor vehicles is limited and not always sufficient for the need of the vehicle owner and user. Tools, equipment, athletic gear, children's toys and other items which are needed or are desirable to have in the vehicle at various times should be put away after use and not left on the seats, in the footwells or in open storage areas such as the rear cargo decks of station wagons, vans and sport utility vehicles, for example. However, these items are often desired to be accessible from the passenger cabin for use by the vehicle operator or passenger, at will, without having to stop the vehicle and retrieve them from a rear closure type compartment or trunk.
One under-utilized space within a vehicle, which can be useful for storing the above-mentioned articles or other items of value which require protection and secure placement, is beneath foldable or removable seats. Many vehicles, such as so-called sport utility type vehicles, vans, trucks and extended cab light duty trucks, have one or more seats which have a foldable or removable seat part under which space may be utilized for storage of various personal items and accessories. As vehicles are downsized and become more compact, there is continuing interest in fully utilizing such available space.
It is known in the prior art to provide underseat storage containers for various and sundry articles. One such device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,724 issued to Green, and comprises a rectangular bottom, four upstanding sidewalls, and an upstanding lip or edge to retain the container underneath a rearmost bench seat of a minivan type vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,404,484 issued to Schoonmaker, describes a container that is designed to be supported within the frame of a vehicle seat structure. This container includes a hinged cover which forms part of the seat itself. Although such containers are generally useful for their intended purposes, they are overly complex in design due in part to the fact that they are configured to fit specifically to the particular geometry of the seat. This requirement turns out to be unnecessary, as has now been discovered by the present invention.